Irish Research Council to become a strategic partner of RTÉ’s Brainstorm initiative

Brainstorm is a new initiative from RTÉ to help enable the academic and research community contribute to public debate, reflect on what’s happening in the world and put forward new perspectives on a broad range of issues. On RTÉ.ie, Brainstorm content sits alongside RTÉ’s journalism and content within the site sections of news, business, sport, entertainment, lifestyle and culture.

Launched in September 2017, RTÉ Brainstorm’s founding partners are higher education institutions from across the island of Ireland, namely; DCU, DIT, NUI Galway, Maynooth University, UCC, UL and University of Ulster. The Irish Research Council is the first research-funding agency to partner with the initiative.

In the first six months of the initiative RTÉ.ie published 329 Brainstorm articles from academics across a broad range of topics, themes and disciplines which have in turn accumulated over 1.3 million page views.

Commenting today (10.05.18), Peter Brown, Director of the Irish Research Council, said: “Internationally, we are seeing a growing focus on the need to inform public debate using evidence and expert opinion. This is increasingly important given the proliferation of fake news in recent years.

“The mission of the Irish Research Council is to support the development of expertise across all disciplines and fields, ensuring that Ireland has the necessary knowledge and skills with which to drive social, economic and cultural progress. Brainstorm is helping to harness this collective expertise to inform and enlighten public discourse on a whole range of key issues.

“RTÉ is to be commended for the Brainstorm initiative: the platform represents a further evolution of the vital role that public service media plays in the 21st century.”

Jim Carroll, Editor of rte.ie/brainstorm, said: “Brainstorm is a home for new ideas and insights on Ireland and the world. Since we launched last year, we’ve been engaging with researchers through our partnerships with higher education institutions. We’re delighted to add the Irish Research Council as a strategic partner, as this will further strengthen awareness of Brainstorm amongst the research community.”

Any member of an academic or research institution in Ireland or elsewhere can register to contribute to Brainstorm by completing an online form to be added to the platform’s list of potential contributors.

Researchers can also pitch to Brainstorm to profile aspects of their research.

In addition to partnering with the Irish Research Council to further develop collaboration with researchers, Brainstorm will be an official partner for the Irish Research Council Researcher of the Year awards.

“A key skill for 21st Century researchers is to be able to effectively communicate the value of research to the public,” said Peter Brown. “RTÉ Brainstorm offers exciting opportunities in this regard across a whole variety of fields.”

“We emphasise quality, readability and relevance,” said Jim Carroll. “Brainstorm is about showcasing expert analysis and commentary in a way that fits in with best-practice journalism.”